


The Godmother

by happylikeafool



Series: The Godmother [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Day 1, F/F, Swan Queen Week Summer 2017, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 22:24:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11450286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happylikeafool/pseuds/happylikeafool
Summary: When Emma accidentally adopts a baby, suddenly everyone in town is vying to be named godparent. But there's only one person that Emma actually wants to be the baby's godmother - Regina. Or, well, okay, maybe she kind of wants Regina to be godmother minus the god part. But that's never going to happen, right?





	The Godmother

**Author's Note:**

> This is definitely the most ridiculous thing I've ever written...but I'm not sorry. Happy Swan Queen Week! :)

It starts with Emma accidentally adopting a baby.

 

And, okay, she knows that a person can't actually _accidentally_ adopt a baby. But she wakes up on a Tuesday morning with no intentions of ever parenting any child but Henry and comes home that same Tuesday with a baby. That's got to be the definition of _accidental adoption_ , right?

 

She finds the baby in question on the side of the road. And, well, Baby on the Side of the Road is literally the story of her life. So, really, it's not her fault that when she lifts the crying baby into her arms, and the squirming bundle stills and looks up at her with wide curious eyes, that she kind of gets instantly attached.

 

She takes the baby girl to the hospital to be checked over but Dr. Whale says there's nothing wrong with her and Emma doesn’t want her to stay at the hospital if she doesn’t need to. Hospitals are scary - Emma doesn’t care that a newborn probably has no concept of that.

 

Storybrooke doesn't have a Social Services department though and Emma isn't exactly sure what she's supposed to do with the baby. She guesses she could bring her to the fairies who seem to have a weird daycare or nursery or _something_ going on there. But she doesn't really like the fairies. Plus the baby is soft and warm in her arms, curled up against her chest sound asleep, and she doesn’t want to put her down.

 

So, she just ends up walking home, baby in her arms. And then - even though she knows half a dozen people, including her own mother, who have babies, so they would definitely have baby supplies at the ready - the person she calls for help is Regina.

 

xxxxxx

 

Regina shows up with an armful of bags, drops them in the entranceway and says she’ll be right back. She returns with another armful of things. And then another. And then yet another.

 

“Did you rob a store?” Emma asks when she seems to finally be done.

 

“Of course not,” Regina says, “I just picked up a few things a baby is going to need.”

 

Emma looks at her front entrance, literally covered in bags to the point where she can’t see the floor. “This is just a _few_ things?”

 

“Baby’s need lots of stuff, Emma,” Regina insists like it's perfectly logical and not even a little crazy that she's shown up within forty five minutes of Emma's call with enough stuff to probably open her own baby store.

 

“Yeah...but...I don’t need all this stuff. Just formula. And diapers. And maybe some clothes?” Emma shrugs because she’s not one hundred percent clear on what babies actually need. “I mean…” she frowns, looks down at the baby she hasn’t put down since the hospital and then back up to Regina, “It’s not like...I’m not keeping her.” It sounds hesitant even to her own ears.  

 

“You aren’t?” Regina quirks an eyebrow but the question is curious not disbelieving.  

 

Emma blinks slowly, not sure what to say. Is it weird that she _wants_ to keep her? “That would be crazy, right?” she mumbles, not sure if she wants Regina to agree with her or for her to say that, no, it wouldn't be crazy at all.

 

Regina says neither, instead asking, “Why would it be crazy?” in a tone that still sounds genuinely curious.

 

Emma looks back down at the baby in her arms and wonders, wonders, wonders. “What if she has family?” she asks, gnawing on her lip now.

 

Regina’s jaw tightens and she looks a little angry, “Are you referring to whomever thought it would be okay to leave a newborn on the side of the road?”

 

“No,” Emma shakes her head vehemently but then she frowns, “I mean, David is trying to sort out who it was. For negligence charges. Or whatever. And in case it’s some teenager who needs medical attention. But I mean...of course we wouldn't just give the baby back to the birth mother. You don’t leave a baby you want to keep on the side of the road, anyways. Well, unless there’s a magic tree wardrobe thingy involved....”

 

“ _Emma_ ,” Regina cuts her off when the rambling gets out of hand.

 

Emma sighs, shakes her head to shake her racing thoughts away, and refocuses on the point she is trying to make. “But what if the baby has grandparents? Or an uncle? Or someone who wants her? What if...” she trails off, not finishing the thought that's in her head - what if she gets attached and someone takes her away.

 

“And what if she doesn’t?” Regina quirks an eyebrow.

 

The baby squirms in her arms and Emma bounces her lightly, murmurs soothingly, until she settles. Who is she kidding? It’s been three hours and she's already attached. “I don’t even know how to look after a baby,” she sighs and it sounds an awful lot like conceding.

 

“You’ll figure it out,” Regina smiles slowly, knowingly, “and I’ll help.”  

 

xxxxxx

 

Henry comes home from Violet’s sometime after dinner.

 

They’ve managed to put together a crib and unpack every last one of the bags Regina brought and now they're sitting on the couch together.

 

Henry comes into the living room, stops and glances between Emma and Regina and the baby currently in Regina’s arms. “Where’d the baby come from?” he asks, not even sounding that surprised. As if arriving home to find both his mothers and a baby is something completely normal.

 

“I found her,” Emma explains, “On the side of the road.”

 

“So we’re adopting her?” He guesses, moving over to flop himself in one of the living room chairs

 

It’s funny, Emma thinks, how he says _we_ and not _you_. “Maybe,” she says carefully, watching for his reaction, “At least, if we can’t find any of her family. Would...would you be okay with that?”

 

Henry grins, “Duh, Ma. Of course I’d be okay with that.” He rotates in the chair, sticking his feet over one of the arm rests. “So what’s her name?”

 

“Oh...umm…” Emma rubs the back of her neck, “She doesn’t have one?” For some reason it sounds like a question even though it's not.

 

“You should give her one,” Henry says, like he thinks it’s ridiculous that she hasn’t already done that.

 

“I...umm…” Emma glances over at Regina, wondering what she thinks.

 

“You should,” Regina agrees with Henry, “We can’t just keep calling her baby.”

 

And there’s that word _we_ again.

 

Emma gnaws her lips, reaches over and strokes the crown of the baby’s head gently. “Okay,” she finally says, “we can name her.”

 

And she’s done it too. Said _we_.  

 

xxxxxx

 

Snow calls sometime a bit later. “What this I hear about you adopting a baby?”

 

“What?” Emma frowns.

 

“Your father said you adopted a baby today,” Snow says matter-of-factly and then demands, “Why didn’t you call me?”

 

“I mean…” Emma rubs the back of her neck, “I haven’t actually adopted her? Dad is still trying to figure out if Ellie has any family. So like...I might not get to keep her?”

 

“ _Ellie_?” Snow says, curious.

 

“Oh, yeah,” Emma nods even though Snow can’t see her, “we named her Ellie.”

 

“ _We?_ ”

 

“Henry and Regina and I,” Emma explains.

 

“I see…” Snow is quiet for a long moment and then she repeats her earlier question, sounding almost hurt, “Why didn’t you call and tell me?”

 

“ _Mom_ ,” Emma sighs but she does feel a little badly about it, so she adds, “It’s kinda been a crazy day. I’m sorry.”

 

“That’s okay, I understand,” Snow sounds appeased, “But, you know...if you're _really_ sorry...you can make it up to me.”

 

“Umm...okay?” Emma says hesitantly, almost worriedly. She wonders if this is going to be a push for more family dinners or something like that.

 

It isn't.

 

“I’d like to be Ellie’s godmother,” Snow says carefully, like she's trying to sound aloof, but Emma can hear the eagerness in her voice.

 

“Ummm…” Emma frowns, “But if I adopt her, you’d be her grandmother?”

 

“I can’t be both?” Snow says a little too sharply.

 

Emma blinks slowly, very confused by the request. Is godmother some kind of important Enchanted Forest role she doesn’t understand? Do grandmother’s usually double as godmother’s? She’s saved from having to answer by Ellie suddenly crying and, even though Regina is already heading to get her, Emma says, “Sorry, mom. I’ve got to go. Ellie is crying,” and hangs up before Snow can say anything else.  

 

xxxxxx

 

News of Baby Girl Swan has apparently spread like rapid fire because when Emma and Regina walk into the diner around lunchtime the next day, Emma pushing Ellie in the stroller Regina showed up at her door with that morning, Granny rushes forward with a knit blanket.

 

“Thanks,” Emma blinks in surprise, taking the white blanket with green ribbon into her hands, running her thumb carefully over the green stitching that reads _Ellie_. How on earth did Granny knit an entire blanket in one night? Does she have some kind of knitting super power that Emma doesn’t know about?

 

“You’re welcome,” Granny says in the same gruff way she says pretty much everything, “Just thought the tyke should have a blanket with her name on it.”

 

Emma smiles, is about to repeat her thanks, when Snow turns around from where she’s sitting at the counter and protests loudly, “No way.”

 

Snow pushes herself up off of the stool and moves closer, wagging her finger at Granny, “You can’t buy the role of godmother like this. That’s not playing fair.”

 

Granny’s hands go to her hips, “Not playing fair, my ass. You’re just upset because your knitting skills are atrocious.”

 

Snow’s mouth gapes open in outrage, her eyes flashing in fury.

 

“Guys, guys,” Emma holds her hands up, worried that her mother and Granny are about to get into some kind of fist fight. She hasn't gotten nearly enough sleep for _this_ . “I very much appreciate the blanket...but umm...that isn’t going to have any impact on who gets to be Ellie’s godmother,” she says even though she still doesn’t understand what the big deal about godmother is. She _really_ needs to ask Regina if it’s some kind of weird Enchanted Forest thing.

 

Snow looks smug and Granny looks annoyed and Emma just really wants to sit down and order a cup of coffee. She's _so_ tired.

 

“Come on,” Regina whispers in her ear, nudging the small of her back to push her in the direction of an empty table, and they side step Snow and Granny who are still glaring at each other.

 

They’ve barely sat down, Regina just having pulled Ellie out of the stroller and settled her in her arms, when three of the dwarves are standing in front of their table.

 

“Emma,” Leroy, always the spokesperson for the group, says, “We heard there is a new princess to meet.”   

 

“Ummm…” Emma runs her hand through her hair, “I guess?” She supposes that’s _technically_ true. Or, well, it will be if she ends up getting to keep Ellie.

 

The dwarves do a weird bow thing towards the baby in Regina’s arms and then Leroy says, “Have you decided on godparent yet? Because we’d like you to consider us for the job.”

 

“Together?” Emma frowns.

 

“That’s not allowed,” Snow, apparently done glaring at Granny, comes over to the table to join the dwarves, “Godparent is _one_ job.”

 

“Says _who_?” Leroy grouses.

 

“Everyone with even a lick of common sense,” Granny adds, joining them as well.

 

“Then fine,” Leroy says, clearly irritated, “We’d like to be considered individually!”

 

“We would?” One of the dwarves whose name Emma can’t ever seem to remember says.

 

“ _Yes_ ,” Leroy snaps.

 

“Would you all quit this incessant blathering?” Zelena stands from where she’s been sitting unnoticed one booth over and joins the rapidly growing crowd.

 

Emma has never really been grateful for Zelena before but in this moment she really really is.       

 

Or, at least, she is until Zelena says, “She's practically my niece. I am the _obvious_ choice for godparent.” And then Emma has to resist the strong urge she has to groan and bury her head in her hands. Instead, Emma glances over at Regina but Regina is just watching the growing crowd with a completely disinterested expression.

 

“How does _that_ make any sense?” Snow narrows her eyes at Zelena’s insinuation that she would be the ideal candidate for godparent.

 

“Henry is my nephew and Henry is her brother,” Zelena explains with an eye roll that suggests that that should have been obvious to everyone.

 

“Well I’m Ellie’s grandmother,” Snow snaps indignantly.

 

“ _Exactly_. Shouldn’t that disqualify you?” Zelena quirks an eyebrow.

 

“I agree,” Leroy grumbles.

 

“ _Leroy_ ,” Snow brings her hand to her chest and looks like Leroy has just betrayed her in the worst way possible.

 

Leroy seems to know he’s made a mistake and he tries his best to smooth it over, “Look. No need to argue about this. We can just have a skills testing competition to decide who the godparent will be.”

 

“That's a great idea,” Snow’s displeasure is replaced with ridiculous excitement at the prospect.

 

Zelena looks skeptical though, “Only if I get to design the competition.”

 

“What?” Snow sputters, her excitement quickly deflating, “How is that _fair_?”

 

“You care too much about fairness,” Zelena rolls her eyes, “You _do_ know that's not what they mean when they say you're the fairest of them all in that abysmal Disney interpretation of your life, right? That just means you're too pasty white to go outside without sunscreen, dear.”

 

Before Snow can snap anything back, the bell chimes signalling someone coming into the diner. It’s Gold, and he limps his way over to the crowd gathered around Emma and Regina’s table. “I'm here to audition for the role of godparent,” he says, “I heard there is going to be a competition.”

 

“ _Seriously_ ?” Emma is convinced now that this is some kind of elaborate set up. A candid camera kind of thing. Someone is definitely going to jump out from behind the counter and scream _gotcha_ any minute.

 

“Hear me out,” Gold says, as if Emma’s _seriously_ is some kind of refute of his godparent skills and not just complete disbelief at this entire ridiculous notion that apparently the entire freaking town wants to be Ellie’s godparent.

 

There's grumbling from the crowd that somehow seems to have doubled in size and Emma can't take it anymore. “Enough!” she slams her hands against the table and the diner falls silent. “ _Regina_ is Ellie’s godmother. The role is filled,” she says loudly, firmly, even though she hasn't actually _asked_ Regina to be Ellie’s godmother. Not to mention the matter of not yet knowing if she's even going to get to keep Ellie, so naming a godparent at all is jumping the gun a bit.

 

“But-” Snow tries to protest.

 

“No,” Emma doesn’t let her continue.

 

“But-” Zelena tries.

 

“I said _no_ ,” Emma narrows her eyes, her expression daring anyone else to try and speak.

 

When the crowd remains silent for an entire minute, Emma dares to look over at Regina, suddenly worried about what her reaction might be.

 

With Ellie still in her arms, Regina is just smiling smugly at the crowd of people now all staring at her and Emma breathes a sigh of relief.

 

“Now can I _please_ get a coffee,” Emma pleads.

 

xxxxxx

 

They never do figure out who Ellie’s birth mother is.

 

And no one ever does tell Emma what’s so important about the role of godparent.

 

Although, Regina does seem to take her job as Ellie’s godmother _very_ seriously. She goes as far as to make a room for Ellie at the manor. Not just a playpen or a crib set up in a guest room for those times that Emma is over and Ellie needs to nap - which, honestly, is basically every day - but a complete nursery with soft purple walls, and a bookshelf, and matching furniture, and a unicorn mobile over the crib.

 

One day, when Ellie is seven months old and they’re sitting out in the backyard of the manor, as they often do on sunny afternoons, Ellie looks over at Regina and makes a grabbing motion with her hands. It’s the sign that she wants to be picked up and the baby gibberish coming out of her mouth turns into, “Mama mama.”

 

Regina freezes, eyes wide and uncertain, as she looks from the baby over at Emma, “Emma I-” she hesitates, as if she doesn’t know what to say.

 

Emma just scoops up Ellie, who is getting a little frantic with Regina’s refusal to pick her up. She presses butterfly kisses to the baby’s cheek until she’s giggling and then she holds her out for Regina to take her.

 

Regina still looks hesitant but she takes Ellie from Emma, snuggling her close to her chest, Ellie’s arms wrapping around her neck. “I’m sorry, Emma,” she says quietly as if she’s somehow done something wrong.

 

Emma shakes her head and smiles slowly, “Regina. It’s not a big deal.” She wonders if she’s supposed to think that it is. She wonders if it means something that she doesn’t. The truth is though, if she’s being honest with herself, which she rarely is, she’s kind of wanted Regina to be Ellie’s godmother minus the god part for quite some time now. And not in the _be Ellie’s other parent_ kind of way, which she basically already is, but in the _be Emma’s wife_ kind of way. Because Emma’s skin tingles any time Regina touches her. Because Emma’s favourite part of any day is the part where she’s with Regina. Because Regina is Regina, and Emma is Emma, and they are _them_. And when Emma is being honest with herself, she knows that the thing she wants most is for them to be together.   

 

Ellie pats Regina’s face with chubby hands and Regina can’t seem to help but smile then. “What are you doing munchkin?” she asks the baby, reaching for her hand to stop it from smacking her again.

 

Ellie just mumbles gibberish and pats Regina’s face with her other hand instead, which just makes Regina smile wider at her and press a kiss to her cheek.

 

Emma’s heart does a weird flip thing watching them. And, okay, it does that a lot around Regina. But it feels different today. Like she may not be able to contain the feelings in her chest any longer. Like they’re about to break free.

 

“What are you smiling about?” Regina asks curiously, an eyebrow quirked, her eyes on Emma.

 

“Nothing, nothing,” Emma shakes her head a little too quickly and not at all convincingly.

 

“Emma?” Regina looks more serious now.

 

Emma swallows thickly, her eyes inexplicably drawn to Regina’s lips, and she says nothing.

 

“Are you okay?” Regina asks carefully, “Are you sure you’re not upset about Ellie calling me mama?”

 

Emma swallows again, runs a hand through her hair and tries to figure out what to say. “I’m fine,” she finally says and her heart hammers loudly in her chest.   

 

Regina’s brow crinkles slowly, like she knows she’s missing something. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

 

“Nothing is wrong,” Emma shakes her head but Regina still doesn’t look convinced so she adds, “I was just thinking about how lucky we are. Ellie and me. And Henry. To have you.”   

 

Regina blinks slowly, brown eyes studying green ones for a very long time before she says, quietly, seriously, filled with thick emotion, “I’m the lucky one,” and she’s suddenly looking at Emma with an expression that might be longing.

 

And then they’re kissing.

 

The best kissing Emma has ever partaken in, even with a baby smooshed between them.

 

And all Emma can think is - why didn’t they do this sooner?

 

xxxxxx

 

They walk into Granny's the next day holding hands, Ellie balanced on Emma’s hip.

 

Emma doesn’t think anything of it when she leans over and kisses Regina quickly, before she transfers Ellie over to her, and heads for the counter to order coffee, while Regina gets a booth. Or, well, she doesn’t think anything of it, until she notices everyone in the diner gaping.

 

She looks back over at Regina, who’s settling into a booth. She’s prepared to mouth an apology but Regina is smiling, looking almost smug, as diner patrons stare at her. It sort of reminds Emma of the way Regina looked when Emma named her Ellie’s godmother in this diner seven months ago. And that thought makes Emma laugh as she spins back around and orders two coffees.

 

xxxxxx

 

This is Storybrooke, so news of their relationship spreads quickly and within minutes of them leaving Granny’s, Emma's phone rings.

 

It's her mother. “I'm not picking this up,” Emma grumbles, glancing over at Regina with Ellie in her arms.

 

Regina looks amused but then she says seriously, “You'd better answer it. Otherwise Snow is going to call _me_ and then I'm not going to be very happy.”

 

Emma sighs but she hits answer and brings the phone to her ear, saying as casually as possible, “Hi mom.”

 

“I heard that you're dating Regina,” Snow says matter-of-factly and, in the worst segue of all time, continues with, “I'm calling about the role of Ellie’s godmother. There's an opening now, right?”

 

“Seriously?” Emma groans into the phone, “This is seriously why you're calling?”

 

“Regina can't be Ellie’s godmother _and_ her mother, Emma. That's just silly.”

 

“But you can be her grandmother _and_ her godmother?” Emma asks skeptically instead of rebutting the claim that Regina will be Ellie’s other mother. Because, well, Regina kinda already is Ellie’s other mother after all.

 

“Well, yes.”

 

Emma shakes her head even though Snow can't see her. “No. We're not doing this again. Regina is Ellie’s godmother. That isn't changing,” Emma says firmly.

 

“But-” Snow starts.

 

“No!” Emma cuts her off.

 

“Fine,” Snow huffs, and then after a beat adds, “Oh, by the way, Emma...I'm happy for you. I was starting to think you were never going to figure out that you love Regina.”

 

“I-” Emma starts to protest but then stops because, well, she does love Regina. She's not sure how she feels about her mother insinuating that she knew so before Emma herself did, but whatever. “Thanks,” she says and then she hangs up the phone before Snow can ask about the godmother role again.

 

Regina is looking at her with eyes filled with amusement, “The godmother thing again?”

 

“The godmother thing again,” Emma sighs, “What is wrong with this town?”

 

As if on cue, Leroy steps out of the Rabbit Hole and calls to them, “Hey, I heard the role of godparent is up for grabs again-”

 

“It is not,” Regina cuts him off, “No one in this town is good enough to be godparent to _my_ child. The role will remain vacant. Why don't you spread _that_ around?”

 

Leroy pulls a face and turns around and goes back into the bar.

 

“ _Your_ child,” Emma tilts her head in Regina’s direction.

 

Regina swallows, looking suddenly nervous, “I’m sorry-”

 

Emma doesn’t let her continue, instead leaning over and pressing her lips to Regina’s. When she pulls back they’re both smiling. “Of course she’s your child,” Emma says softly.

 

“She’s _ours_ ,” Regina says just as softly.

  
Emma’s smile widens, her heart fluttering with love and fondness, as she repeats, “ _Ours_.”


End file.
